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Woman sexually assaulted after Super Bowl party

BEMIDJI -- A Bemidji man has been arrested after a woman reported a sexual assault after Super Bowl party.

Bemidji Police responded to the Sanford Emergency Room to a report of a sexual assault on Monday. The female victim said the assault occurred after a Super Bowl party on Sunday.

David Earl Neumann, 23, of Bemidji was arrested for third-degree criminal sexual conduct against a mentally impaired or helpless victim.

According to court documents, Neumann should have known his victim was mentally impaired, mentally incompetent or physically helpless. Neumann faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

According to a criminal complaint filed with the court, the victim told police she was trying to sleep and Neumann kept laying next to her even when she would move to a different location. She told police that Neumann always carries a knife and she “stayed quiet, and pretended to be sleeping while Neumann sexually assaulted her because she was scared,” according to the complaint. Neuman was known to wear a belt that had a knife for a buckle.

Neumann was arrested at his apartment on the 1100 block of Washington Ave. S. around 4:15 p.m. on Monday. When officers arrived they collected his pants and the belt buckle as evidence. Court documents confirmed that the buckle on Neumann’s belt was a knife.

Neumann admitted the victim told him to go home after the game ended. He said he had been drinking before the game and “blacked out on the couch,” according to the documents. Although he indicated he knew why officers were at his apartment, Neumann denied having sex with anyone.

Neumann was released from the Beltrami County Jail after posting bail on Wednesday. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 10.

Crystal Dey covers crime, courts, tribal relations and social issues for The Bemidji Pioneer in Bemidji, Minnesota. Originally from Minnesota’s Iron Range, Dey has worked for the Echo Press in Alexandria, Minnesota, The Forum in Fargo, North Dakota, The Tampa Tribune in Tampa, Florida, the Hartford Courant in Hartford and West Hartford News in West Hartford, Connecticut. Dey studied Mass Communications at Minnesota State University Moorhead with an emphasis in Online Journalism. Follow Crystal Dey on Twitter @Crystal_Dey.